Stanford women’s golf team held a seven-stroke lead on Mar. 23 after the first two rounds of the Charles Schwab Women’s Collegiate Invitational at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. The team, currently ranked number one nationally, moved ahead in a field featuring several NCAA Championship contenders.
The tournament saw higher scores across the board due to challenging conditions, including high winds that affected play for many teams. Stanford did not lead after the first round but managed to rally and take control as competition progressed.
Stanford was notable for being the only team with multiple golfers in the top five through 36 holes. The Cardinal posted a second-round score of one under par—the only under-par team round on Monday—finishing at two over par overall and holding a significant advantage over fifth-ranked Texas.
Individually, Kelly Xu finished the day at two under par with rounds of 70 and 68, placing her just one stroke behind leaders Farah O’Keefe and Kiara Romero. Xu is tied for third place with Rianne Malixi. Meja Örtengren also performed strongly, opening with a 68 before carding a second-round score of 72 to finish even par and outright fifth overall.
Paula Martín Sampedro rebounded from an opening round of three over par by shooting one under in her second round, moving into a tie for ninth place after finishing eighth last year. The final round is scheduled to begin Tuesday morning at Colonial Country Club.
